Zidane says he can "count on" Gareth Bale this season

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has said he'll "count on" Gareth Bale, as it appears the Welsh forward will remain with the La Liga giants this season.

Bale has endured a frosty relationship with his boss who earlier this summer said it would be good if the player "left tomorrow".

But with only two weeks left before the end of the transfer window, Zidane says he's now open to welcoming the forward back into the fold at the Bernabeu.

"It seemed that Bale was going to leave but today he is here with us", the French World Cup winner remarked ahead of the start of the new Spanish season.

"The dynamics are changing, things are changing. From now on, I will rely on him, as on others.

"I will rely on all the players who are here. He has his place, he is an important player and I hope that all the players will make the task of choosing a team difficult."

With an injury to Eden Hazard, Bale could be set for a starting role in the first La Liga game of the season tomorrow against Celta Vigo.

Madrid have confirmed that former Chelsea star Hazard is facing a number of weeks on the sidelines with that thigh issue.

"Following tests carried out after training today, our player Eden Hazard has been diagnosed by the Real Madrid medical team with a lesion in the recto anterior muscle of the left thigh. Pending evaluation."

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